It has been stated that human thinking falls into one of two categories: reasoning and narrative, descriptive, contemplative thinking. Reasoning is the process that permits the acceptance of facts followed by a logical process to conclude a result, opinion, conclusion or decision. Narrative, descriptive, contemplative thinking corresponds to the storytelling process (including receiving of a story) and the thought processes associated with the reception of a story.
Text and stories (presented in various formats) can also be interpreted at various levels including the literal, ethical, historical and mystical levels. It is generally understood that texts and stories are read and interpreted in different ways including at the different levels. A story or narrative can have different meanings at different levels, different interpretations at different levels, and will be interpreted differently by different individuals at each of the levels. Additionally, an individual, based on their emotional or physical state, may interpret each level of a story differently. A person may react differently to a story based on their current emotional state, which may in fact change while they are receiving the story. In some cases, it may be possible to alter their emotional state while receiving the story to make them more receptive to a particular interpretation at one or more levels.
Advertising is typically a type of narrative in which the advertiser attempts to influence the recipient (viewer, reader, listener) in a way that creates a positive association with a product or in some cases attempts to influence the recipient to purchase the product. Humor is frequently used in advertising because it puts the recipient in a receptive state for a message regarding the product. As such, humor is already used to alter the emotional state of the recipient of the advertising. Such manipulation of the emotional state of the recipient is currently limited to simple manipulation through the presentation of the advertisement (narrative).
With the advent of the digital era, the number of ways to transmit and present advertisements has increased dramatically, with advertising being inserted into Web pages, being displayed as pop-up windows on Web pages, transmitted as streaming media over the Internet, presented as animation over the Internet, and inserted into television streams at central or distributed insertion points. The advent of the digital era also threatens advertising in that viewers can avoid advertisements by stopping pop-up windows, or skipping over the advertisements on a Personal Video Recorder (PVR).
Due to the rapid changes in technology, advertisers are being forced to take new approaches to advertising including product placement, in which products are advertised during an entertainment narrative (e.g. a sit-com) as opposed to in a separate advertisement. Advertisers are also exploring ways to draw viewers (or listeners) to content that is essentially digital media narrative storytelling, typically in the form of music or a short story that would appeal to viewers. What is required are ways to attract individuals to content that is personally more relevant and impactful for them and which may contain an advertising message (in the form of product placement), and have them receive that message in full, as opposed to skipping over all or a portion of the message. It would be an additional benefit to have the ability to understand the individual's likes and dislikes or current mood in order to adapt the message appropriately for the individual at the time that they are receiving it.
Digital media narrative may include content, such as video, audio, and combinations thereof, that is distributed digitally and can be stored digitally. In some instances digital media narrative can be manipulated via computer without human interaction. Digital media narrative includes but is not limited to stories presented over the Internet, modifiable digital video including digital television and streaming media, presentations on web sites including animations, still images, sequences of still images, audio, textual presentations, and combinations of all of the abovementioned media.
Digital media narrative can be distributed in a multitude of ways, such as broadcasting over cable and satellite, the Internet, or on media such as optical disks (CDs or DVDs). Distribution of digital media narrative is a significant business and involves complex relationships between artists and record labels or film studios, producers, and a complete distribution chain that includes advertising, both in the form of advertising of the content itself as well as sponsored advertising that may be inserted into, or become part of the content such as product placement. Examples of sponsored advertising include the insertion of commercials into recorded materials or the use of sponsor's products (e.g., automobiles) in the narrative.
Digital media narratives may be directed at a segment of the market, but the segment that the digital media narrative material is directed to may be quite large. For example, an artist may create works that appeal to the 18-24 year old age group, but that group can include people with different interests from various countries and different economic classes.
Furthermore, when digital media narratives are used as part of advertising, that digital media narrative and the advertising may be directed at such a large market segment that it is difficult to keep the interest of individuals within that market segment. If a user goes to an Internet web site to view a recording of an artist, and in particular a sponsored work that contains advertising, that work (including the advertising) may be so generic that the user cannot respond to or relate to the work. Additionally, the user may experience different emotional states than another user, or the user may be in an emotional state that is different than the user's emotional state when the user previously viewed the material.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a method, system, and software to enable a distributor of sponsored or un-sponsored digital media narratives to change the content of the digital media narrative based on user demographics, psychodemographics, emotional states, affinities (cognitive, emotional and social), self-narrating content classification, internal narrative traits preference topology, time sensitive, episodic expectation sequencing, and collective/collaborate attributes.